Travel & Tourism

Shugoll Research has conducted a variety of studies for clients in the hospitality industry including hotels and resorts, tourism, travel and transportation. We’ve assisted clients by studying their customers and prospects to better understand the key motivators and deterrents to purchase decisions in these business and leisure segments.

Over the past several years, competition for fewer travelers has fueled price wars and innovative partnerships to provide travel incentives. We have worked with a variety of clients to help them differentiate themselves, build brand loyalty, maximize occupancy and load so they make informed business decisions that increase revenue and customer satisfaction.

A large part of our business is answering critical questions and providing actionable direction. Here are some of the questions Shugoll Research has helped Travel/Tourism clients answer over the years:

FAQs

Shugoll Research recommends and has had reliable results using a systematic feedback program that invites customers who have recently used your services to rate and comment on their travel experience. We custom design evaluation forms using qualitative input to ensure coverage of all the key issues. The evaluations are distributed right after traveling and are easy to complete ensuring accurate recall and high participation levels.

Over time, these computerized data provide a picture of overall satisfaction, including what elements – service, quality, convenience and price – are most important when selecting a hospitality service. The research also calculates how your service compares with others competing for the same customers. Evaluations can delineate variations in satisfaction from a national level down to a specific market or location. Trends are identified. Stellar locations can be used as models and problem locations targeted for improvement.

Shugoll Research is a leader in testing employee evaluation and incentive programs. We use customer and peer feedback to identify outstanding individuals and teams. And we test different incentive programs to identify which are most motivating. Evaluation techniques include both qualitative discussions to explore what is most important to employees and quantitative evaluation of different programs and features.

Shugoll Research’s powerful Power Pricing Index accurately examines price sensitivity by market segment and recommends price points that will retain and attract customers while maximizing revenues. Since pricing recommendations vary by segment, a highly gradated pricing structure results, one where deeply discounted prices are not widely publicized or made available without restrictions. Understanding each segment, including information sources used, booking timeframe, booking method and needs/preferences, allows our clients to tailor and target by segment. So, for example, special price-driven offers can be targeted to segments that are highly price sensitive while minimizing exposure to other segments that are not as price sensitive.

Using conjoint analysis, Shugoll Research has designed high-impact frequent traveler programs that result not only in highly satisfied members, but members who are motivated to return to the sponsoring company. Among the components tested are various recognition options, different reward structures and awards, different levels of partnering agreements and different point accrual systems. After identifying optimal program features through surveys with frequent business travelers, the program is then test-marketed or rolled out. In either case, we provide research to evaluate the program’s effectiveness and profitability making recommendations on how to fine-tune for an even higher ROI.